Scrum Values

I have gotten to see the Scrum training first-hand now six times and I now it really has started to sink in, so much so that I even have had thoughts on how I would change the fundamentals of Scrum. In the Scrum guide there are 5 fundamental values that are essential to Scrum. The last of which is  “Respect”. This may be the Rhetoric Major in me speaking but I think there is a better word for this fifth value. So I propose that Respect be replaced with the word “Trust”.

As it is meant in the teaching of Scrum, Respect is actually used as a mutual agreement  between two people that if you say you will do something you will do it, or that you don’t have to constantly check on someone to make sure their doing the right thing.  This aligns more with the word trust than respect to me. The words are alike in this way: you have to give it to also receive it.  This mutuality is what makes this a critical part of every tea. You eliminate worry when you know that the people you work with trust in you like you trust in them.

I discussed this thought with Chris during a break in training, and I mentioned that if I were to rename it I might change the word to trust. He used the example that rendered both the words to mean the same thing. Suppose you have a boss that checks in on you and micro-manages your progress every 10 minutes to make sure you are getting work done, you would not be very happy with your job. Whereas you work with somebody who trusts that you have enough respect for the work that you do and also respects the fact that someone trusts in you to get your work done, I can guarantee that you will be happier with your work.

Without Trust, there is no need to make sure you get the best and the brightest people to work for you. You make an investment into everyone that works for your business, so why not give them the freedom to do their best work. From an employee standpoint you will see that if your higher-ups or even your equals trust you to get the job done you then will also be inclined to do your best work.  Then you will trust in your coworkers as well.

Overall If no change to the Scrum Values is made which it is unlikely so, I would at least like for people to think about trust going hand in hand with respect. Trust is foundational way of showing that respect that is necessary in Scrum. It only makes sense that trust become apart of the Scrum Values as it is synonymous with respect.

Andrew

Andrew Tandy is a Junior Trainer plying his wares at beLithe.  Andrew will start his senior year at Wabash College this fall.

 

At the time I am writing this, I have completed my 5^th full week of interning here at beLithe and I guess I’ve learned the ropes well or at least so I think. I have now completed 9 days of the Scrum training with Chris and have facilitated activities in the last 6 days or so. Getting more involved has been, in a word, interesting. I figured now is a good time to write about what I’ve learned from taking a stab at leading some of the training.

While I have only lead the activities and not the PowerPoint sections of the training, still I think I have picked up on a few valuable things.  Admittedly, I am not a yeller and honestly. I don’t have a loud voice. So I sometimes struggle to get the attention of the group once we break up into the activities. This is one thing I would desperately like to get better at. However, I have picked up on a few tricks that help make it easier, like when time is running out you give them a countdown rather than just saying “times up” or keeping the groups spaced out but not far enough that they can’t all hear you.

As much as it pains me to say that most of the time when we struggle to gain the attention of the group,  it is when we do training for groups of college age students. I hate to put down my age group, but it is a common struggle.  What I have noticed is that college age students also are more inquisitive and have the best questions, so it is a mixed bag.

Another thing I have noticed is during one of the activities where the self-organized teams are asked to move from station to station to answer various “myth or fact” questions. Most teams will get through the questions quickly and never need all the time that you give them. But then there is usually one group that takes almost all five minutes to answer the 10 questions. Whenever we get to the review part of the activity where we go over the answers the team that took the most time usually has the least answers wrong. I think that it benefits people to take their time ensuring that everything goes right versus trying to do your work faster and move on to more work. This is mirrored in Scrum where it is better to attempt to do less work if it means you can do it better over the course of the Sprint.

While I’m far from a professional Instructor I enjoy the process of improving and getting to learn more about instructing. One thing I have noticed from watching Chris is that every time you deliver the training is going to be different in small ways because people themselves are different every day. Sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned but you must be able to adapt and keep going. It can be uncomfortable sometimes, but I know that its worth it because I learn something new each time.

Andrew

Andrew Tandy is a Junior Trainer plying his wares at beLithe.  Andrew will start his senior year at Wabash College this fall.